Exploring options for more diverse and resilient farming systems in landscapes in early stages of forest transition, the case of Madre de Dios, Peru.

This study will take place in the Amazonian region of Madre de Dios, Peru, located on the early stage of the forest transition curve, meaning both forest cover and deforestations rates are high. Fuelled by a variety of intentions i.e. carbon credits, conservation, economic development, etc., the smallholder farmers in this region see their farming system intervened in a variety of ways. This research will aim to understand how key drivers and interventions influence change towards more diverse and resilient agricultural systems in early stages of forest transition and, thereby, to explore and co-construct promising interventions with the use of participatory methods. First, the trend in resilience in the farming system will be analyzed with the heuristic model of panarchy (chapter 1). Second, the local social-ecological farming system will be characterized with a farm typology based on household surveys and Fuzzy-Cognitive Mapping (FCM) with multiple stakeholders (chapter 2). Third, the farm-level decision-making will be explored through the creation of a serious game (chapter 3) and, finally, this game will be used to explore and co-construct interventions with stakeholders for more diverse and resilient farming systems (chapter 4).